Old Lady and her husband, Napi (Old Man),
are the culture heroes and Transformer figures of the Blackfoot tribe. Like other Algonquian culture heroes,
Old Lady is often portrayed as a foolish being or
even a troublemaker, but she is also a benevolent creator figure who frequently helps the people or teaches
them important knowledge.
In some Blackfoot Indian legends both Old Man
and Old Woman are associated with
coyotes
(some Blackfoot storytellers even call them "Old Man Coyote" and "Old Lady Coyote," as the
Crow Indians do.) In other Blackfoot legends Old Man and Old Woman have no particular connection
with coyotes and are instead described as the first man and
woman made by the Creator,
who in turn made the rest of humankind.